I reside with four felines, three of which sleep with me, curled up between legs, balanced on hip and flopped over forehead. We have a morning ritual, I set the clock for 5:14, and hit the snooze button three times before finally waking at 5:38. Somehow my companions know what time I really get up, as they never wake me before the correct moment. At 5:38 however, they are competing for attention and I have to make sure to pet all of them. Three cats weaving in and out of arm’s reach keeps me busy for a few moments before I hit my knees and ask God for help throughout my day. The cats are my primer, they instantly connect me to spirit, little deities in feline bodies. They tell me that I am the most wonderful, loved, person on the planet, and help me to connect and get in “touch” with my day. My first waking moments are chock full of unconditional love, first from my cats, then from my prayers, which just might be one and the same.
● About Me
I wrote and published my first blog post on May 26, 2009. I was about to turn 36 and had been accepted to Mount Holyoke College as a non-traditional student, on my way to completing a Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in Medieval Studies. I had managed, finally, to know what general direction I was traveling. As a self proclaimed voracious reader I knew that I needed a vocation that would allow me to engage daily with words: reading words, writing words, and hearing words. I also needed to eat, so I navigated my way to a teaching position and I began to fine tune my craft. I love to teach and I love my students, but I also needed to continue to hone my own literary technique, voice, and style. I continued my education in order to delve deeper into literature, making connections, and most definitely, writing. I gained more confidence as a reader as well as a writer of both creative and analytical text. That first blog post in 2009 is short, the writing average, and the topic mundane, but as I continued to learn from other writers I began to understand that to become a better writer I needed to write more. Each time I write and release a poem, a post, or a story, I hone my skills. I invite you along for the ride, for this journey of mine as I attempt to wrangle a wealth of ideas and competing directions into an organized freshly paved path to publication. I might get distracted along the way, but sometimes those detours lead us to amazing views and new friends.
Laura Smith Writer 
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